After All
by Addisex-Owns-My-Life
Summary: A Grey's AnatomyPrivate Practice crossover. Alex and Addison have a chance meeting at an OBGYN conference. What happens?
1. Chapter 1

After All

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story. They belong to Shonda & Co. However, if Kate Walsh and Justin Chambers become available let me know. I will gladly max out my credit cards, empty my bank accounts, and offer my firstborn child in exchange for ownership. I also do not own Grey's Anatomy or Private Practice. If I did, Private Practice would not exist, and Addison and Alex would be shacking up, making beautiful babies with her hair and his mischievous smile.**

Chapter 1 – I Wasn't Looking For You

Alex Karev sighed as he made his way into the bustling convention center. It was his first time in sunny Los Angeles, and he was to spend the majority of the daylight hours inside. Reluctantly he approached the marquee and after studying it for a moment headed off in a direction he hoped would take him to the correct room. As he rounded a corner he ran smack dab into a woman, causing her to drop her purse and a large stack of papers.

"Oh, excuse me!" he exclaimed, bending over to help her gather the papers. When all had been collected, they both stood up. "Here you go, sorry 'bout tha…" Alex fell silent when the woman brushed her long hair out of her face.

"Addi….I mean, Dr. Montgomery! Wha…what are _you_ doing here?"

The tall redhead smirked. "I'm assuming you're here for the OB/GYN conference?" Alex nodded. "Apparently you didn't read the itinerary. I'm presenting at a few of the sessions today."

Alex smirked back. "Well, now that I know, I'll be sure to attend one." They looked at each other awkwardly for a moment, neither knowing what to say to the other, before Alex broke the silence. "So…how's life treating you these days?"

"Things are good," Addison said with a small smile. "I'm actually living here in L.A."

"Yeah? What hospital are you working at?"

"Ummm…I'm not, actually. Working at a hospital, that is. I'm now the lone OB/GYN at the Oceanside Wellness Center. I'm lucky if I have one delivery a day."

"Seriously?!?!"

Addison rolled her eyes. What _was_ it with Seattleites and their obnoxious overuse of that word? "Yes, seriously," she mocked. "It's a nice change of pace, actually. So, what about you?"

Alex shrugged. "Same old, same old. Working a million hours a week, kissing attending ass in the hopes of getting in on some cool surgery. The NICU isn't quite the same these days, though…"

Addison blushed as Alex gazed at her, the longing evident in his voice. "Well, it's nice seeing you but I really must get going..."

"Oh! Yeah, um, me too. Maybe I'll, uh, catch you later."

"Yeah, OK."

With that, the redhead was gone, lost in the crowd. Alex dug through his knapsack for his itinerary. He retrieved the rumpled document and scanned it quickly, making note of when and where Addison would be presenting. If things went his way, he'd _definitely_ be catching her later.

Meanwhile, Addison found the nearest restroom and locked herself in a stall. _Karev? Here in L.A.? Seriously??? _"Argh!!!" she groaned, smacking her forehead with her palm. _Someone, _she thought, rolling her eyes to the heavens, _clearly doesn't like me. I left Seattle because of him…OK, partly because of him, anyways…and now he's HERE? Now? Now that I'm happy? Seriously? Grrrrrrrrr there's that word again! Damn him and his stupid vocabulary!!! And his horrible timing! And his gorgeous eyes…DAMN HIM! _She shook her head in attempt to rid her mind of his image, the looked at her watch. "Shit!!!" She flew out of the restroom, barely making it to the conference room on time.


	2. Chapter 2

After All

**Disclaimer: See chapter 1. I still don't own anything besides this laptop, some worthless Beanie Babies, and a lot of books. Let me know if you want to give me anything.**

Chapter 2 – Believe Me Baby (I Lied)

Addison sighed in relief, collecting her purse and briefcase before heading for the parking lot. She'd made it through the day without running into Alex. _Perfect,_ she thought, _all I need is a few glasses of wine and a chick flick, and I can forget I even saw him._

"Hey." A deep voice interrupted her thoughts and shot her plans to hell.

"Oh, hey Karev. How, uh, how are you enjoying the conference?"

"Eh, it's OK. Except this one presentation I caught. Oh man, the speaker was this totally hot redhead…"

"Oh, so you did make it? I didn't see you." Addison cut him off, hoping her face wasn't as red as it felt. _God! Does he have no shame? A few months ago he wanted nothing to do with me, and now he's flirting? Bastard._

"Yeah, I just caught your last session. I was in the back row. Not bad." Alex tried not to laugh as Addison blushed furiously. He took a deep breath and gathered all the courage he could muster. "So…I was wondering if you'd like to go out to dinner or something. Do you have any plans for this evening?

"No." Addison blurted out. "I mean, no, I wouldn't like to go out to dinner or something." _Gee, wonder what that 'something' could be. _"Because I…I have plans."

"Oh? What kind of plans?" Alex raised his eyebrows suggestively.

Addison rolled her eyes and threw her hands up in the air. "Plans that do not involve you! God, Karev, what on earth makes you think you can just waltz in here and…and…and ruin my plans?!?! I have things to do, and I can't..._do things_…when you're standing here looking at me like that! Stop it!" With that, she turned on her heel and hurried towards her car only to be stopped by a hand on her wrist.

"Addison, wait!"

"No, Karev, _you_ wait. I fell for you once. I fell for you and all your perfect words, and you used me. I was a good time for you, a quick lay, and that was it. You got what you wanted and left the rest. I'm not going there again, so _good day_. And by the way, that's 'Dr. Montgomery' to you." She tried to leave again, but Alex stepped in front of her.

"Please, Addis…Dr. Montgomery. It wasn't like that!" He looked down avoiding the glare she sent his way." Please. Just let me explain. I didn't use you. I never meant to hurt you, I swear. I…I was trying _not_ to hurt you."

"Well that worked out well." She studied his face and was surprised by the sincerity in his eyes. With a sigh she relented. "OK, fine. Dinner. But that's it. No more 'not hurting me.' Got it?"

Alex broke into a grin. "Got it."

"Good." Addison couldn't stop a smile, albeit a slightly nervous one, from forming on her lips. "I know a nice little Italian place a few blocks from here."

Addison gave Alex directions to the restaurant. They went to their cars and met in front of the eatery a few minutes later. They made nervous small talk throughout their meal, but Addison grew serious as they exited the restaurant.

"OK Karev, I gotta know…the whole 'not hurting me' thing? How exactly was it supposed to not hurt? Because it did. It really, really did."

"I see that now, and I'm sorry." Alex's heart sank when he saw the pain in her eyes. He took a deep breath before continuing. "I really liked you. I _do_ like you. I thought maybe we could go out but then Ava…er, Rebecca… said you were looking for a guy to barbeque and teach kids to play catch. That's not me. I can't barbeque. Hell, I don't even own a grill. And playing catch? Forget it. I'm not father material. Believe me, I'm not. You're looking for a family man, and I can't be that. Maybe some day I can be, but not now. I just…I just thought it would be better to end things than to have you get your hopes up." He gave her a sheepish grin. "Of course, now I see I probably could have come up with a better way to do that."

"Yeah, you could have." Addison sighed. "Of course, now it looks like there won't be any kids to play catch with anyways…"

"What do you mean? There has to be at least one man in L.A. that wants to have kids with you. I mean seriously. Have you looked in a mirror lately?" Alex gave a sly grin and winked suggestively.

"The mirror isn't the problem. I…after you said I wasn't your girlfriend I came out here to visit a friend of mine from med school. She's a fertility specialist. I was going to find a sperm donor and have a baby myself, but it turns out I'm infertile."

"Oh." Alex mentally kicked himself for being so callous. "Sorry to hear that."

Addison shrugged. "Yeah, so am I. But there's nothing I can do about that, so I guess it's on to Plan B."

Once again Alex smirked. "Well, if Plan B involves interstate booty calls with someone who never calls, forgets holidays and anniversaries, and leaves his dirty socks on the floor, I'm your guy."

"Awwww, Karev, when did you become such a romantic?" Addison found it impossible not to laugh at Alex and his dirty mind. "Well, this was…nice, but I really do need to get home. Where are you staying tonight?"

Alex laughed. "Actually, I have no idea. When I got to the hotel I was supposed to stay at, they were overbooked and didn't have a room for me. I didn't have time to find another place before the conference."

"Oh dear." Addison paused for a moment before proceeding. "Well, I do have a spare room, if you'd like to crash at my place for the night."

"Really? Yeah, that would be great."

"OK then. Follow me."

**And…that's it. Not the greatest, but at least it's longer than the last chapter. Hope you all enjoyed it. I'd say reviews will get you a timely update, but I'd be lying. Comments and suggestions are welcome though.**


	3. Chapter 3

After All

**Disclaimer: Again…I own nothing. I do, however, have a lovely piece of toast with peanut butter and bacon. Mmmmm. Sound good? Too bad. Get your own. I will give you this, though…the long-awaited (is 3 days considered long? Because I think that's how long it's been since I updated…I meant to post this yesterday but I was lazy) chapter 3! It's not crunchy and delicious, but it's still pretty nice.**

Chapter 3 – Feels Just Like It Should

"Wow, nice place!" Alex said as he got out of his car and approached Addison's beach house.

"Isn't it great?" Addison grinned. "It was actually the first…well, only…house I looked at when I came down here. As soon as I saw it, I knew it would be the house I grew old in. Wait 'til you see the view out back." She led him to the kitchen, where he peeked out the window, eyes widening at the sight of the ocean.

"So, can I get you something to drink? Coffee? Tea? Water? Alex shook his head, so Addison pulled open the fridge and studied its contents. "Soda? Orange juice? Milk? Wait…" She opened the carton of milk and, wrinkling her nose in disgust, walked to the sink and emptied it down the drain. "Scratch that. Hmmm…wine?" She moved a few things around and finally emerged with a few amber bottles. "How about a beer?"

"Yeah, that's good. Thanks." He took the cold beverage from Addison and was about to take a seat at the counter when they heard a knock at the door.

"Oh, Cooper, hi," Addison said as she let the visitor in. "What's up?

"Everyone's at Sam's, just wondering if you were coming over. Oh! Am I uh… am I interrupting something? Cooper asked, eyeing Alex suspiciously.

"No! Nonono, Cooper, this is Alex. We worked together in Seattle. Alex, this is Cooper, the pediatrician at Oceanside."

"Worked? And just what kind of _work_ did you two do together, huh?" Cooper surrounded "work" with air quotes and gave Addison an impish grin. Addison rolled her eyes.

"She was my boss, actually," Alex supplied quickly, his face reddening at the thought of the "work" he and Addison had done in an on-call room. "Taught me everything I know about neonatal surgery."

"Yeeeeaaaahhhhh…anyways, we're all next door, stop on over if you're not too busy." Cooper winked at Addison and made a quick exit.

Alex laughed and rolled his eyes. "So, what exactly is going on over there, a party?"

"Not really. Everyone from the practice tends to gather either here or at Sam's in the evening. We start a bonfire, have a few drinks, just unwind. Feel like going over?"

Alex shrugged. "Why not?"

"OK, then let's go." Addison grabbed a sweater off the back of a chair. "Did you bring a jacket or something? It gets a bit chilly out there at night."

Alex nodded and dug through his duffle bag. He pulled out a sweatshirt and threw it on. "Ready?"

"Yep." The two made the short trek to her neighbor's house, where the women were gathered on the porch and the men busied themselves with starting a fire. The women stared with raised eyebrows as Addison led Alex to them.

"Well hel-loooooo," Violet teased with a smirk. "Who's the mancandy?"

Addison sighed and rolled her eyes. "This is Alex. He was one of the interns assigned to my service in Seattle. Alex, this is Violet," she said, gesturing towards the curly-haired woman, "and this is Naomi."

"Nice to meet you both," Alex said, shaking hands with the women.

"Likewise." Naomi smiled at Alex. "So, Alex, what brings you here?"

"My attending sent me to a conference here in L.A. The very same conference, it turns out, that Addison was presenting at today."

"Uh huh. So Addison, when did you start giving OB/GYN _presentations_ at your house? This some kind of hands-on learning experience?" said Pete, who had caught the end of the conversation, as he nudged Addison in the ribs and winked suggestively at her.

"Peeeeeete!" Addison groaned as she backed away from her tormentor and playfully swatted him in the back of the head.

"Actually, the hotel I was going to stay at was overbooked, and when Addison heard I didn't have reservations anywhere she graciously offered the use of her guest room for the night."

"Awwww, isn't that nice," was Pete's cheeky response. His sugary sweet tone of voice earned him another swat from the redhead.

"Anyways," Addison cut in before Pete could get in any more wisecracks, "Alex, this is Pete, our resident quack." Pete mouthed the word "ouch" and staggered backwards as if Addison's words had wounded him. Addison ignored his antics and moved towards the other men, who had a roaring fire going by now. "This is Sam and Dell, and you've already met Cooper. Guys, this is my friend Alex, from Seattle. He's in town for a conference," she offered before they could torment her with any embarrassing questions. At this point the other women joined them and everyone sat around the fire.

"So, Alex, you're going into obstetrics and gynecology?" Naomi asked the visitor.

Alex swallowed a mouthful of beer. "I do some work in OB/GYN, but I'm actually more interested in neonatal surgery."

"That's great! I bet you learned a lot from Addison."

"Oh, I sure did." Alex grinned at Addison and nodded. "She's amazing. I mean, she's an amazing teacher," he stuttered. Addison sunk down in her chair, glad the pink tint in her cheeks was undetectable in the twilight. "I was actually interested in plastics. If not for the opportunity to work with her, I never would have even considered neonatal."

Naomi nodded. "Yeah, she's great at what she does. I'm still not completely sure how I managed to woo her away from her state of the art NICU!"

"It wasn't you that wooed her. It was me. And my amazing kissing skills," Pete quipped, laughing as Addison grabbed Alex's empty beer bottle and chucked it in his direction. It missed by a mile and landed in the sand with a soft thud.

As the evening wore on the teasing came to an end and the Oceanside crew fell into an easy chatter. After a while Addison noticed Alex stifling a yawn and took it as a cue for them to make their escape.

"Well, Alex had to catch an early flight this morning. I think we'll call it a night so he can get some sleep."

"Oh, yes, don't let us keep Alex from _sleeping_," Cooper said, once again using air quotes.

"Shut up, Coop!" Addison grabbed Alex's hand and dragged him away from the crowd.

"Nice meeting you all!" Alex turned and waved over his shoulder. He broke into laughter as soon as he and Addison were in her kitchen once more. "Well, I must say, that's an interesting bunch you're associating with these days!"

Addison buried her head in her hands. "Really! Could they be any more obnoxious?" she complained, but was unable to keep from laughing herself. "They're basically harmless, but God, could I strangle them sometimes! Anyways, come with me and I'll show you your room." She led him upstairs, flipping on a light when they reached their destination. "Here you go. The bathroom is right across the hall. Towels and washcloths are in the linen closet, toothpaste, mouthwash and dental floss are in the medicine cabinet. My room's the last one on the left if you need anything."

"Thanks, I think I'm good." Alex yawned again.

"Well OK then. See you in the morning."

Alex quickly brushed his teeth and stripped down to his boxers and undershirt. He turned out the lights and crawled into bed, falling asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.

The next morning Alex woke to the unfamiliar blinding glare of sunshine. He glanced at the alarm clock, jumping out of bed when he realized it was nearly ten o'clock. He took a quick shower and headed downstairs, where he found Addison sitting at the kitchen table, the Sunday paper spread out in front of her. "Hey," he said, taking a seat across from her.

"Well good morning, Sleeping Beauty," the redhead teased as she looked up, flipping her pony tail over her shoulder. "I was wondering if you were still alive up there. Hungry?" Alex nodded. "Get your shoes. There's a little café down the street that makes great omelets." Alex complied, tying his sneakers as Addison slipped on a pair of pale aqua flip flops that perfectly matched the tank top she was wearing with a pair of loose black gauchos. Alex grinned to himself. He'd never imagined the fashionable former New Yorker even owning such casual clothes, let alone going out in public wearing them, but he had to admit she looked hot in them…maybe even hotter than she looked in the slim black skirts, trendy patterned blouses and heels she usually favored. "Ready?" Addison interrupted his thoughts as she stood before him.

"Yep, let's get this show on the road." Alex stood and followed her out the door. They walked the few blocks to the café. They were seated right away and handed menus by a pretty, blond waitress. Alex ordered a meat and cheese filled omelet and orange juice, while Addison settled on a Belgian waffle topped with whipped cream and blueberries, a grapefruit half, and tea.

"So, what time is your flight? Addison asked as they waited for their breakfast. "Got time for a little sight-seeing before you leave?"

"Not really. My flight leaves at three, so I should probably get to the airport by two."

"Oh. Bummer." Addison found herself surprisingly disappointed by his answer. "Maybe some other time?"

Alex smiled. "Yeah, definitely. This place is beautiful. I don't even want to leave, though all the sun is a bit overwhelming after 527 consecutive days of rain in Seattle."

"Now that is one thing I don't miss," Addison laughed, pitying the poor resident. "I don't see why anyone lives in Seattle."

Before the conversation could get any further, their food arrived. They ate in a comfortable silence, broken only by the occasional small talk. Alex quickly polished off his omelet and eyed Addison's waffle. "Are you gonna finish that?" he asked as she sipped her tea, a good fourth of the waffle left untouched.

"Go ahead, have at it." She giggled as he finished it in three bites. "You want anything else?

"Nah, I'm good."

They paid for their meal and headed for the beach. Addison slipped off her shoes and Alex followed suit. They walked to the water's edge. Alex closed his eyes as the sun warmed his face, a gentle breeze ruffled his hair (which, Addison noticed, he'd grown a bit longer since she left Seattle), and the cool water lapped at his toes.

"Isn't it amazing?" Addison almost-whispered, her voice filled with awe even after living in L.A. for months.

"It is. I can't imagine waking up to this every day. Must be nice."

"Yeah, it is." Addison waded further into the ocean until the water threatened to dampen the hem of her pants. She jumped a little when Alex walked up behind her, wrapping an arm around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. He almost pulled away, thinking he'd moved to fast, but stopped when she leaned back against him, one hand lazily running back and forth over his forearm.

"Thanks for letting me stay at your place," Alex said softly into Addison's ear. "I had a great time here."

Addison turned to face Alex. "No problem. It's about time someone broke in the spare room bed. I'm glad we ran into each other yesterday." She smiled briefly, then glanced at her watch and frowned. "Unfortunately, we're going to have to head back now if you plan on catching your flight."

With disappointed sighs the two trudged back to the sand and made their way slowly back to Addison's house. Alex's heart skipped a beat when Addison slipped her slender hand into his own as if it was the most natural thing in the world. An easy silence fell over them as they completed their short journey. _What have I done to deserve this?_ Alex asked himself. _Must be some kind of miracle, because with what I've done to her, it would take an act of God for her to give me a second chance._

Back at the house, Alex ran upstairs and quickly packed his bag. When he came back downstairs he found Addison sitting cross-legged on the sofa. When she heard his footsteps she stretched and stood up. "Well, thanks for everything."

"You're welcome. Don't be a stranger. Look me up next time you're in the area."

"Will do." Alex grinned and pulled her in or a hug. She melted in his embrace for a moment, then kissed him gently on the cheek before speaking."

"Well, you better get going if you don't want to miss your flight."

Alex nodded. "Yeah." He lingered a moment more before pulling away. "See ya." He got in his car and slowly backed out of the driveway, his heart already aching as he watched her stand on the front porch, her lean frame growing smaller and smaller with every passing second until he could no longer see her.

As Alex sat in the airport, his flight delayed briefly by – of course – rain in Seattle, he pulled out his Blackberry and checked his work schedule. His face lit up when he saw that he had a four day weekend coming up in a few weeks. He quickly dialed Addison's number, which he'd gotten when she left her cell phone on the table while she went to the ladies' room at the café. His fingers nervously drummed the armrest as he waited for her to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Hi. I was wondering if you had a room available the weekend after next."

"Alex!" Addison squealed in delight at the unexpected call. "You really want to come back here in a few weeks?"

"Yeah. I have a few days off. Figured I might as well come back to L.A. and actually do some _work _this time." Alex borrowed Cooper's air quotes, even though Addison couldn't see. "If you don't mind, of course."

Alex could practically hear Addison smiling. "Of course I don't."

**So, was it worth the three day wait? Hope so. I know it's a little fluffy and silly and I've totally rushed the relationship between Alex and Addison, but it's not important. I just needed a way to get them together so I can get to the jucier stuff. Oh, and you may have noticed that, as with so many other fanfics, the chapter titles are all songs. I've decided to start posting the lyrics. This one is from Pat Green and I think it's totally fab. Well, of course it's fab. It inspired cute, fluffy Addisex, didn't it?**

Feels Just Like It Should

Let's jump in my El Camino - Uh huh  
Roll the windows down  
Thought we could see what kind of trouble  
we can find out on this messed up little town

The Boss on the radio- uh huh  
Take whatever comes  
We'll go flying down the highway with my arms around you singing Born To Run

It feels just like it should  
Must be some kind of miracle  
Like I got sun on my face and the rain ain't never going to fall  
It feels so good  
Oh It is almost spiritual  
Tomorrow's nowhere in sight  
Right now, right here tonight  
It feels just like it should

Well you got your good looks - uh huh  
And you got your style  
And I'd drown here in this ocean  
Just to have you float my boat for a while  
I got a reputation - uh huh  
Don't you worry about that  
Just give me a chance and we'll never gonna ever look back

And it feels just like it should  
It must be some kind of miracle  
Like I got sun on my face and rain that ain't never going to fall  
It feels so good  
Man it's almost spiritual  
Tomorrow's nowhere in sight   
Right now, right here tonight  
It feels just like it should

Maybe Romeo gets the girl this time  
I guess everybody gets the chance to shine  
And tonight is mine

It feels just like it should  
Must be some kind of miracle  
Like I got sun on my face and the rain it ain't never going to fall  
Feels so good  
Awww it's almost spiritual  
Tomorrow's nowhere in sight   
Right now, right here tonight  
It feels just like it should


	4. Chapter 4

After All

**Disclaimer: I now own Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, and the insanely attractive Kate Walsh and Justin Chambers. It's a dream come true!!! **

**HA! April Fools! Oh wait…its January. Oh well. I might as well get my kicks in now because this bad boy could be finished by April. In any case, the earlier disclaimers still apply, except the last one. I'm not eating toast right now, or anything else for that matter. But now that I think about it, I am kind of hungry…**

Chapter 4 – Say It Right

"Come on, come on, answer the God damn phone!" Addison muttered to herself as she paced back and forth in her office. She let out an exasperated sigh as she listened to her friend's pre-recorded message. "Damn it Callie, what's the point of having a cell phone if you never answer it? Call me back. Bye." She threw the phone back in her purse with a huff, only to retrieve it a few seconds later. "Cal?"

"Geez, what has your panties in a wad? I thought you were supposed to me chilling out in L.A."

"Lines of deliciousness, Cal. Lines of deliciousness that are in Seattle now but will be _here_ in…" she glanced at the wall clock and made a quick calculation, "thirty-five hours and fourteen minutes."

Addison heard a thud and a few muttered expletives before Callie came back on the line. "What? WHAT?!?! OK, Addison, what are lines of deliciousness doing in L.A.? I thought you were over that."

"I was. I _am_. It's just…he was here a few weeks ago for a conference and we ran into each other and talked and then he called and he's coming back. Which seemed like a good idea at the time but now it seems like…not a good idea. Maybe even a bad idea. Jesus, Cal, what am I gonna do?"

"Want me to break his bones and make it look like an accident?" Callie snickered.

"Caaaaaaaaaaaaal! I'm serious!"

"So am I."

Addison groaned. "Why do I always get myself into these messes? The kiss, the sex in the on call room, the 'You're not my girlfriend' crap…he's no good! He's toxic, Callie, and I'm letting him waltz right in here for four freakin' days to mess me up all over again. Why?"

"Oh relax! It's not like you'll ever have to see him again after. Just screw your brains out for a few days…"

"Callie!!!" Addison interrupted.

"What? Oh come on, what do you think you'll be doing? Taking long walks on the beach and having deep conversations about the meaning of life? I know you both too well. So just go with it. If it goes well, invite him back. If it doesn't, I'll break his bones. Easy as that."

"Thanks Callie," Addison quipped dryly. "What would I do without you for a friend?"

"You'd call Miranda for help, and get yelled at for not being able to keep your legs closed." Another snicker erupted from the dark-haired beauty's end of the line. "Aw shit, I gotta go," Callie said as her pager went off. "Good luck with everything. Let me know how it goes."

"OK, bye." Addison hung up and sat at her desk, burying her face in her hands.

"Gee, what's wrong with you?"

Addison looked up to see Naomi standing in her doorway. "Alex is coming back," she groaned.

"And that's a problem because…?"

"Because he's Alex!!!"

"He seemed nice enough."

"He _is_ nice. But he's…he's evil. He has this way of driving you insane. He gets under your skin and just when you think you couldn't hate anyone more than you hate him he goes and says these perfect, beautiful things and life is good until WHAM!!! The bastard rips your heart out, chews it up, and spits it back in your face and you hate him all over again."

"O-kaaaaaay. I thought he was just a colleague from Seattle but apparently I'm missing something here."

Addison took a deep breath before launching into her story. "Nae, when I first met him, I honest to God wanted to kill him. He was the most annoying, obnoxious, challenging intern I'd ever dealt with. And then he wasn't. He was put on my service and I saw a whole new side of him. One day he was working with Mark and Mark was being an ass to me so Alex got him a vanilla latte instead of a bone dry cappuccino," Addison paused to chuckle at the memory of the event, "and we almost kissed. Then we _did_ kiss. Then I ignored him, and he said he wasn't interested in me. This, of course, made me even more interested in him. There was some flirting, and some on call room sex, and then the jerk said I wasn't his girlfriend. So see, he's evil. And…"

"And you totally want him."

"No! No, I do not want him."

"But you could want him."

"Exactly. Right now all I expect from him is a good time, but what if I fall for him again?" Addison rested her chin in her hands and closed her eyes. "I am in so much trouble."

Naomi patted her friend on the shoulder. "Everything will be fine, Addison. Just tell him how you feel," she called as she left the office.

"Yeah right," Addison muttered as she got up and headed to the exam room to prep it for her next patient, "because he's coming all the way here to _talk_ about _feelings_."

"Hey, you doing anything now? Wanna go grab a few drinks at Joe's?" It was five o'clock the following afternoon and George and Alex, having just finished their shifts, were heading out of the hospital.

"Why would I go get a drink with you?"

"I…I don't know. Maybe because that's what friends do?"

Alex snickered. "Yeah right. The only way I'm ever going to a bar with you is if your wife, who, by the way, is seriously hot, is with us. And I know for a fact that she's still in surgery, so you're outta luck, Bambi." He laughed at George's angry expression and punched him in the arm. "Oh relax; I'm just messing with you. Actually, I have a plane to catch so I have to go pack."

"Really? Where ya going?"

"Back to L.A."

"Oh yeah? What, or should I say _who_, is in L.A.?"

"There's this thing called the sun. Maybe you've heard of it. I have a long weekend so I figured I'd go hang out on the beach for a few days." Alex hoped George accepted his explanation. Not that he cared if George knew he was (hopefully) going to get it on with the hot redhead. He just wasn't sure how she would feel about the entire hospital (because George would tell Izzie, who would tell Meredith, who would tell Derek and Cristina, who would tell God knows who) knowing that they were involved.

"OK, well, have fun," George said as he got into his car.

"Thanks, I will." Alex continued walking to his car, checking his voicemail as he did so. He found only one message.

_Hey Alex, it's me. Listen, one of my patients just went into labor so I don't know when I'll be home. If I'm not there when you get there, let yourself in. There's a key under the doormat by the back door. See you later._

Alex grinned at the sound of her voice. He wasn't due in L.A. for six hours yet so hopefully she'd be home by then, but he knew full well that babies come when they're good and ready and not a minute sooner. _Oh well, at least we have another four days if tonight's a total bust_, he thought.

Once home, Alex took a quick shower, brushed his teeth, and then packed his suitcase with a few changes of clothes, his swimming trunks, and the necessary toiletries. By the time he got to the airport, checked his bag, and went through security he only had a few minutes before boarding his plane. He quickly grabbed a bottle of water and a few magazines for the two and a half hour flight, and headed for the gate.

The magazines, however, went unread. After working thirty-six hours straight, Alex was exhausted. He fell asleep shortly after takeoff, and slept until a flight attendant shook him awake to remind him to fasten his seatbelt for landing.

After collecting his bag Alex picked up his rental car and headed to Addison's house, arriving precisely at eleven PM as planned. The house was dark and Addison's car was not in the driveway, so he located the key and let himself in. He set his suitcase by the stairs and headed for the kitchen. He laughed and shook his head when he realized the fridge was as full (or should he say empty) as the last time he'd been there. He searched for the phone book and, after finding it, ordered a pizza. He grabbed his keys and went to pick up the pizza, stopping to grab some sodas and a six-pack on the way. Back at the house he was just biting into his first slice when he heard the door open. "Hey," he said as Addison made her way to the kitchen and sat across from him. "How was the delivery?"

"Great, if you don't mind mothers trying to die on you," Addison groaned as she grabbed her own slice of pizza. "But mother and daughter were both doing fine when I left, so all's well that ends well. How was your flight?"

"OK, I guess. I slept the whole time."

Addison nodded knowingly. They finished the rest of the pizza in relative quiet, but when Addison stood to place her plate and glass in the sink, Alex reached for her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I missed you," he said with a smile before kissing her softly on the cheek.

Addison grinned. "I missed you too." Within seconds, Alex had her backed up against the refrigerator, their lips crashing and hands searching desperately for bare flesh. Before long they headed up the stairs, shedding articles of clothing with every step. An hour later they both lay on their backs in Addison's king-size bed gasping for air.

"Wow."

"Yeah. That was amazing," Alex panted. After catching his breath he made a move for Addison, but she pushed him off of her. "What? I thought you were having fun."

Addison, propping herself up on her elbow, turned to look at Alex. "Oh, believe me; I'm having a _lot_ of fun. I just need to know something. What am I to you?"

"What?" Alex looked puzzled.

"What am I to you? What are we doing? I need to know…are you just in this for a good time or what? I mean, if you are, I'm OK with it. I just need to know so I don't get sucked in by your sweet-talking ways just to have my heart broken when you decide you've had enough."

Alex sighed. "Look, I was a jerk before. I already told you I'm sorry. I'm not doing that again, I swear. I'm in it for the long haul now."

"Really?" Addison couldn't hold back a smile.

"Yes, really. Have you checked out airfares from Seattle to L.A. lately? It's way too expensive to be flying out here for meaningless sex, even if it is with you."

Addison punched Alex playfully. "Well OK then," she managed to get out before pulling him on top of her once more.

**OK, so that's chapter 4. You like? A little angst, a little fluff, even a little sex for good measure, though I kept it pretty clean so as to keep the rating where it is, though I may change it at some point in the future. I've officially gone farther than I ever have before in a fanfic, so yay me! I kind of have 13 chapters planned out, but there will likely be a few more besides that. Cool, huh? Oh, and you'll notice that Callie and George are still together. I'm told this seriously disgusting thing called "Gizzie" happened, but apparently it was so God-awful that my mind has blocked it out. Either that or I'm once again in denial. Oh well. Whatever gets you through the day, right? And for future reference, Burke is still in Seattle, though I haven't decided if he and Cristina are together because frankly it isn't important to the story. I'll cross that bridge when I get there.**

"Say It Right"

In the day  
In the night  
Say it right  
Say it all  
You either got it  
Or you don't  
You either stand or you fall  
When your will is broken  
When it slips from your hand  
When there's no time for joking  
There's a hole in the plan

Oh you don't mean nothing at all to me  
No you don't mean nothing at all to me  
But you got what it takes to set me free  
Oh you could mean everything to me

I can't say that I'm not lost and at fault  
I can't say that I don't love the light and the dark  
I can't say that I don't know that I am alive  
And all of what I feel I could show  
You tonight you tonight

Oh you don't mean nothing at all to me  
No you don't mean nothing at all to me  
But you got what it takes to set me free  
Oh you could mean everything to me

From my hands I could give you  
Something that I made  
From my mouth I could sing you another brick that I laid  
From my body I could show you a place God knows  
You should know the space is holy  
Do you really want to go?


	5. Chapter 5

After All

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, any of the cast members of those shows, or anything related to them. And given my credit card and student loan debt, it's unlikely that I will own any of those things anytime in the near (or not-so-near) future. So please, don't sue. If you feel bad for me, however, you may make a monetary contribution. I won't mind.**

Chapter 5 – Hurts So Good

The next morning Addison was brought to consciousness by her blaring alarm clock. She groaned and quickly turned it off, hoping it hadn't woken Alex. She glanced over at him, smiling at his sleeping form, and slipped quietly out of bed, trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes as she made her way to the master bathroom. All intentions of being quiet flew out the window, however, as soon as she shed her nightgown and caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror. "Alex!" She yelled, stomping back to the bedroom, "What on earth did you do to me?" She pointed to the angry red bite marks on her shoulder.

Alex sat up and, after allowing his eyes to adjust to the morning light, looked at her and snickered. "You didn't seem to mind it last night. Besides," he said turning his back to her, "you weren't all that gentle yourself."

Addison's mouth fell open. "Oh my God, does it hurt?" She gently ran her fingers over the bloody scratches that marred his back.

"Nah, I like it rough," he said, turning to face her and pulling her into a kiss. "It kind of turns me on. But I'm sorry if I hurt you."

"No, no, it's fine. I just won't be able to wear anything sleeveless to work for a while," she said, her lips curling into a smile. "Speaking of work, I have to get ready."

"Aw, just call in sick. Come back to bed."

"I can't! I told you not to fly in until this evening. You might have a four-day weekend, but we can't all be that lucky. I have a c-section scheduled for this morning and two appointments I can not miss this afternoon. I did, however, clear my schedule for Monday so after that I'm all yours for three days."

"Fine. How 'bout I help you get ready for work, then?"

Addison grinned, knowing exactly what he had in mind, and dragged Alex towards the bathroom. They emerged nearly an hour later after a much longer, and more physical, shower than was really necessary. After hastily throwing on some clothes and pulling her hair into a ponytail Addison ran for the door. "Bye!" she called over her shoulder. "I should be home by five!"

"So, how was your evening with Alex?" Naomi rushed to Addison's side as soon as she walked through the doors of the Oceanside Wellness Center. "Not that I really need to ask, what with the post-coital glow and all."

"Shut up! I do not have a post-coital _glow_."

Naomi raised an eyebrow. "Girl, don't start that crap. I've known you too long. I know how you look after a night of mind-blowing sex. Now spill."

Addison laughed at her friend. "OK, OK. You're right. We had mind-blowing sex all night, followed by mind-blowing shower sex this morning. Better?"

"Uh huh, just as I suspected." Naomi grinned back at Addison before the two parted ways and headed to their offices.

After finishing up some paperwork, Addison went to St. Ambrose Hospital. She completed her c-section with no complications and returned to Oceanside. "Oh how beautiful!" She exclaimed when she saw a bouquet of tiger lilies on the reception desk.

"They're for you," came a deep voice behind her. She spun around to find Alex sitting on the couch in the waiting area. "I went out for breakfast and when I walked past that florist shop next to the café, I saw them in the window and they reminded me of you."

"Aw, that's so sweet," Addison gushed, fingering the bright orange blossoms. "Thank you." She leaned in and kissed Alex gently on the cheek. "Now go away."

Alex clutched his heart and staggered backwards. "What? I bring you flowers and that's all I get? What am I supposed to do for the rest of the day?"

"I don't know. Go sit on the beach and think about how I'm going to thank you later tonight." She shoved him towards the door with a laugh. "I have an appointment in five minutes. Good bye!"

Alex groaned. "OK, fine. See you later." Following Addison's instructions, he returned to her house and changed into his swim trunks. He ran into the ocean for a little while, then returned to the sand and spread out his towel. Still tired from the previous night's flight, he quickly dozed off, only to be awakened later by a toe jabbing him in the ribs.

"Turn over, you're going to burn," a cheerful voice quipped.

Alex rolled over, squinting in the afternoon sun. "Hey, I thought you were working til five."

"Yeah well, I only had two appointments scheduled and the second patient cancelled so I snuck out early. Good thing I did, or you'd be too sore to have any fun tonight."

Alex snorted. "Yeah right. I'm never too sore for _that_."

"Oh yeah? Prove it." With that Addison headed for the house, Alex hot on her heels.

The sun shone brightly for the next three days, not that Addison and Alex noticed as they left Addison's bed only briefly for nourishment. By Monday evening they were both exhausted as Alex quickly packed his bag. "I wish you could stay longer," Addison said wistfully as she helped Alex collect his belongings."

"So do I. Maybe you could come to Seattle soon?"

"Yeah, I could probably fly up for a weekend at the end of next month. We'll have to get a hotel room, though," Addison said, wrinkling her nose. "There's no way I'm having sex with you in the House of Interns."

Alex laughed. "What, the thought of having sex while your ex-husband and the dirty mistress get it on down the hall doesn't turn you on?"

"Surprisingly, no, it doesn't."

"OK, hotel it is, then."

"Good."

"Good."

Alex zipped up his bag and the two headed to his car. "Call me when you land," Addison ordered, giving Alex one last kiss before he got in the car.

"Will do," Alex replied, leaning out his window to brush a fiery lock of hair out of Addison's face. "I'll miss you," he called as he backed

"Yeah," Addison said to herself, heading back into the house that suddenly seemed too quiet.

The next morning Naomi pulled into the Oceanside parking lot as Addison was slowly walking towards the building. "Hey, how'd the three-day lovefest go?" Naomi taunted as she hurried to catch up with the redhead.

"Ugh. My legs hurt from being in positions no one's legs should ever be in, and I'm pretty sure my vagina is broken…"

"OK, OK, TMI!!!" Naomi interrupted.

"What, like you didn't know we were having mind-blowing sex all weekend?" Addison laughed, then sighed. "That son of a bitch, he's been gone all of twelve hours and I already want to see him again."

"Wow, you really are falling for him, aren't you?"

Addison nodded. When they entered the building, another bouquet of lilies was waiting at the reception desk. She grabbed the card and grinned at the short message.

_I miss you already. Alex._

**And that's chapter 5. A little short, but better than nothing. Sorry I made you wait so long, but sometimes I just have a little bit of trouble focusing long enough to get anything intelligent out. I'm not making any promises, but I will try to get the next chapter done quicker. Reviews, and maybe some suggestions for what you'd like to see in upcoming chapters, might help.**

"Hurts So Good"

When I was a young boy said put away those young boy ways  
Now that I'm gettin' older, so much older I love all those young boy days  
With a girl like you, with a girl like you  
Lord knows there are things we can do, baby, just me and you  
Come on and make it

CHORUS:  
Hurt so good  
Come on baby, make it hurt so good  
Sometimes love don't feel like it should  
You make it hurt so good

Don't have to be so exciting  
Just tryin' to give myself a little bit of fun yeah  
You always look so invitin', you ain't as green as you are young  
Hey baby, it's you, come on, girl, now, it's you  
Sink your teeth right through my bones, baby, let's see what we can do  
Come on and make it

CHORUS

I ain't talkin' no big deals  
I ain't made no plans myself  
I ain't talkin' no high heels  
Maybe we could walk around all day long  
Walk around all day long

CHORUS

CHORUS

Hey, hey


	6. Chapter 6

After All

After All

**Disclaimer: OK, you know what? I got nothin'. I don't own Grey's or Private Practice or anything. I lost my inspiration (and motivation). I don't even have anything funny to say, except that my tongue is currently purple from eating Sweet Tarts, and really that's sad more than it's funny because what self-respecting 27-year-old eats Sweet Tarts and thinks a purple tongue is funny? Anyways, the fact that I haven't updated in pretty much forever isn't funny, that's for sure. And I am sorry about that, really I am. Don't hurt me.**

Chapter 6 – Baby, Don't You Break My Heart Slow

Late May quickly came and before she knew it, Addison was stepping off a plane in Seattle very, very late on a Friday night. She caught sight of Alex and flashed him a weary smile as they approached each other.

"Hey." Alex wrapped his arms around Addison's waist. "How was your flight?" he asked before leaning in for a kiss.

Addison pushed him away and wrinkled her nose. "You don't want to do that right now, trust me." Alex looked at her quizzically. "There's a nasty stomach bug going around the practice right now, and I seem to be coming down with it. Either that or I'm developing motion sickness in my old age. Either way, you _really_ don't want to do that now."

"Well, I certainly hope it's the latter, otherwise I'm probably not getting any this weekend, am I?" Alex winked playfully at Addison and she attempted a laugh but it came out weak and Alex could tell she was exhausted. "Come on, let's get out of here," he said, grabbing her bags and leading her out to his car.

"So, how are things in sunny L.A.?" Alex asked once he had maneuvered his way out of the airport parking lot on onto the highway. When his question went unanswered he turned and found that the redhead had already fallen asleep. He left her undisturbed until they arrived at the hotel where he considered carrying her to their room but decided that her considerable height might make that a bit awkward. "Hey, Add," he said softly, giving her shoulder a gentle shake." We're here."

She opened her eyes and looked at him groggily for a second before jolting awake. "Oh my God, did I sleep all the way here? Why didn't you wake me up?"

"It's OK. It's late. Or very, very early, depending on how you look at it. Let's just get upstairs and we can both get some sleep." Addison nodded and followed him to the check-in desk.

Once in their room, Alex let Addison have the bathroom first. When she emerged, dressed in her pajamas, her face freshly scrubbed, be went in. When he re-entered their room, he found Addison dozing off as she sat in bed, leaning back against the headboard, the TV tuned to the news and a magazine still clutched in her hands. He set the magazine on the nightstand and turned the TV off.

"Hey, I'm watching that," Addison grumbled as she turned to look at him.

Alex laughed. "No you're not." He climbed under the covers and turned off the lamp on his bedside table. "Go to sleep." He leaned over to kiss her, then flopped back on his pillow."

"We should talk. Don't you think we should talk? We haven't seen each other in ages." Addison said as she stifled a yawn.

"It's only been just over a month since I was in L.A. I don't think that qualifies as 'ages.' Besides, we talk on the phone all the time. We can talk in the mor…" Alex shook his head and chuckled when he realized that his girlfriend had already drifted back to sleep. He reached across her to turn off the other lamp, and then settled back in bed with an arm draped across Addison's waist.

­­­­­­­­

The next morning Alex's slumber was disturbed by a sudden movement, followed by the slamming of a door. Still half asleep and a bit confused, he reached for his cell phone and checked the time. 6:34 AM. Before he could ponder the reason for being awake so early on his day off, a noise from the bathroom jolted him into full consciousness. "Addison?" he called as he padded barefoot to the bathroom and opened the door. "Are you OK?"

"Oh yeah, just fantastic. I do this for fun every day," Addison quipped dryly before hunching over the toilet again. Alex sank down behind her, holding her red locks away from her face with one hand and rubbing her back with the other until the retching subsided. "Sorry I'm ruining the weekend." Addison glanced at Alex apologetically as she sat back, leaning against the bathtub.

"Nah, it's fine," Alex replied, taking a seat next to her. "Holding your hair back while you puke is almost as much fun as having sex for 48 hours straight."

"Whatever." Addison rolled her eyes and slowly got to her feet. "Why don't you go back to bed? I'll be there in a minute," she said, reaching for her toothbrush. Alex obeyed, and a few minutes later Addison joined him, snuggling close to him. They were almost asleep when she bolted upright. "Shit!"

"What?" Alex sat up next to her. "Are you gonna throw up again?"

"No. Not yet, anyways. Shit! Shit, shit, shit!"

"OK, you're kinda freakin' me out here. What's wrong?"

"I…I'm…Well, I think I might…argh! Damn it, how could I be so stupid?" She got out of bed and stomped over to her suitcase, digging through it until she found a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Alex asked as Addison quickly pulled on her clothes.

"To the store."

"For what?"

"For a pregnancy test, you idiot!" Addison growled at Alex as she slipped into a pair of leopard-print ballet flats. She started to reach for her purse but stopped and looked at Alex, whose mouth hung open in shock. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. The part about you being an idiot, I mean, not the part about me being pregnant."

Alex shook his head and blinked rapidly a few times, trying to pull himself together. "But…but…but _how_ can you be pregnant?" he finally got out. "I thought you couldn't have kids!"

"Yeah, well, so did I."

"Are you sure you're pregnant?"

"Would I need a pregnancy test if I was sure? Of course I'm not sure! But it would explain the fatigue, the nausea and vomiting…"

"What about your period? Did you get your period last month?"

"Yeah. Well, I though I did. I thought I was just having a light period but it could have been spotting."

"Oh. You, uh, you want me to go to the store with you?"

"I think I can manage on my own." Addison threw her purse over her shoulder and headed for the door. "I'll be right back."

Alex was sitting in the same spot on the bed when he heard a knock on the door half an hour later. Slowly he got up and opened the door.

"Sorry, I forgot the key card," Addison said as she brushed past him with a bag from a nearby convenience store. Alex followed her as she entered the bathroom, but stopped when she slammed the door in his face.

"Come on, Add, let me in! Addison?" When she didn't answer his plea he pressed an ear to the door and listened as she ripped open a box, flung the lid of the toilet up, and peed. "OK, now can I come in?" he asked when he heard her flush the toilet and wash her hands.

"No! We need to talk!"

"What is it with you and talking? Can't we just get the test results and then talk?"

"No, we have to talk _now._" Addison crossed the room and pressed her back to the door, sliding down until she sat on the floor with her knees drawn up to her chest. At the same time Alex sat on the other side, his legs sticking out in front of him.

"OK, so talk," Alex said after a moment of silence.

Addison took a deep breath. "OK, so here's the deal. I want kids. I want a family. Regardless of what happens in the next," she paused to check her watch, "two minutes and forty-seven seconds, I _am_ going to have a family. Whether I have children of my own, or hire a surrogate, or adopt, or…_whatever_…I'm going to have a family. And I need to know right now if you're in it with me. Not eight months from now when I'm in labor, not a year from now when I'm up in the middle of my hundredth sleepless night with a colicky baby, not five years from now when I'm ready to have another one. Now. If you don't think you're ready to be a father, I need to know now. I'll move on, I'll get over you, I'll be OK. But…but if you let me get my hopes up, and walk away when it gets too hard…I don't know if I'll be OK. So just…if you don't think you can raise a family, if you're not in this with me, make it quick. Just go."

**Oh. My. God. Oh, the drama! The suspense! Is she pregnant? Will he stay? OMG it's killing me! OK, no it isn't, because of course I know what's going to happen, but maybe it's killing you. Or maybe you see right through me and also know what's going to happen. Whatever. But in any case, I'm sure where we're at is no surprise because come on, what good Grey's fanfic doesn't involve someone getting knocked up, or at least thinking they are? Anyways, if you liked it, or even if you didn't, please review! I want to know what you think. And what you think should happen. The next chapter is pretty much figured out, but I'm open to suggestions.**

"Baby, Don't You Break My Heart"

I like the way you wanted me

Every night for so long baby

I like the way you needed me

Every time things got rocky

I was believing in you

Was I mistaken do you say

Do you say what you mean

I want our love to last forever

(Chorus)

But I'd rather you be mean than love and lie

I'd rather hear the truth and have to say goodbye

I'd rather take a blow at least then I would know

But baby don't you break my heart slow

I like the way you'd hold me

Every night for so long baby

I like the way you'd say my name

In the middle of the night

While you were sleeping

I was believing in you

Was I mistaken do you mean

Do you mean what you say

When you say our love could last forever

(Chorus)

Well I'd rather you be mean than love and lie

I'd rather hear the truth and have to say goodbye(goodbye)

I'd rather take a blow at least then I would know

But baby don't you break my heart slow

(Bridge)

You would run around and lead me on forever

While I wait at home still thinking we're together

I wanted our love to last forever

I was believing in you

(Chorus)

I'd rather you be mean than love and lie

I'd rather hear the truth and have to say goodbye

I'd rather take a blow at least then I would know

But baby don't you break my heart slow

Dont love and lie

I'd rather hear the the truth and have to say goodbye

I'd rather take a blow at least then I would know

But baby don't you break my heart slow

Baby don't you break my heart slow


	7. Chapter 7

After All

After All

**Disclaimer: Alex and Addison…still not mine. I'm just borrowing them. I promise to return them when I'm done, and I'll try not to get them too dirty. Of course Alex is already a bit of a dirty boy, not much I can do about that.**

Chapter 7 – Little Wonders

The two sat in silence for a moment before Addison spoke up again. "Alex? Are you still there?"

"Oh! Yeah, I'm here, just…thinking." He sighed deeply. "Can't you just tell me the results?"

"No!"

"Oh, come on, why not?" Alex whined.

Addison rolled her eyes, even though she knew Alex couldn't see. "Because the test isn't done yet. Besides, I want your answer before I tell you the results." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly before continuing. "I…well…OK, Derek…he stayed with me out of a sense of obligation. He didn't love me anymore. He didn't _want_ to be with me anymore. He felt like he _had_ to. I just…I don't want it to be like that with you. I want you to stay because you love me and want to raise a family with me. It's my fault we're in this mess here…"

"It's not your fault. I should have used a condom." Alex interrupted.

"No, it is. Naomi told me I couldn't get pregnant, but in all my years as an OB/GYN I've seen enough 'surprises,' or 'miracles' or whatever you want to call them to know that getting pregnant was still a possibility. I'm the one that has to worry about getting pregnant; I should have known there was still a chance and insisted on using birth control, OK? It's my fault. _I_ screwed up, and _I'm_ willing to take full responsibility for whatever happens. If you think you want kids, great. But if you don't, I'm giving you an out. I don't want you to feel like I'm dragging you into something you're not ready for, something you don't want right now…something you might _never_ want. So before I tell you what's going on, I want to know you're sure it's what you really want."

Alex barely waited for Addison to finish speaking before he answered. "I'm sure." His voice was steady and, surprisingly, he'd never felt so sure of anything in his entire life. "I don't know anything about kids. I don't have a clue how to raise them. I'm…I'm not ready to be a father, but I can get ready. I'll figure it out. I _want_ to figure it out…as long as you're the woman I'm figuring it out with. We can do this together."

Addison flung the door open, causing Alex, who was still leaning against the other side of it, to fall flat on his back. "You're really sure?"

"I'm really, _really_ sure," Alex said as he propped himself up on his elbows and watched Addison intently as she crossed to room to the counter where the test was sitting. She took a few shaky breaths before she picked it up and turned to Alex with tears threatening to fall from her blue-gray eyes.

"Good…because…I'm pregnant!" she shrieked before running to Alex and throwing her arms around his neck. "I'm pregnant! I'm gonna have a baby!"

Alex wrapped his arms tightly around Addison's waist and buried his face in her hair. "_We're_ gonna have a baby," he whispered.

Addison pulled back a little, tears streaming down her cheeks, and giggled when she saw that Alex's eyes were misty as well. "I love you, Alex Karev."

"I love you, too…so, now what? Should we go celebrate?"

"How about we just go back to bed and order room service in a while." Alex nodded in agreement so Addison kicked her shoes off, left her jeans in a pile on the floor and, not bothering to put her pajamas back on, crawled under the covers.

Alex quickly joined Addison in bed. He slipped his hand under her t-shirt and rested it gently on her still-flat belly. "You know, ever since I left L.A. I've been thinking about us, and I had a feeling we'd end up with a couple of kids somewhere down the line."

"Really?" Addison started tearing up again as she gazed into her boyfriend's eyes.

Alex nodded. "This isn't how I planned it, and I _definitely_ didn't think it would happen this soon, but I know how much you wanted a child so I just figured we'd adopt one…or two. Maybe three. But we should probably just wait and see how it goes with the first one before we get all crazy."

"Yeah, let's just take it one step at a time," Addison laughed and kissed Alex. "I knew ever since Naomi told me I was infertile that I'd adopt, or get a surrogate, or do whatever I had to in order to have a child…but I figured I'd be doing it alone. I like it this way a lot better."

Alex kissed Addison back. "Yeah, I like it this way too. Don't get me wrong, one part of me is scared to death. But the other part of me…I'll never forget how I feel right now. It just feels like this is how it was meant to be. It feels so right. I know I have a lot to learn before this little bambino comes along, but I can do it. With you by my side, I know I can, and I can't wait."

Addison shook her head in amazement. "You never fail to amaze me, you know that?"

"Yeah, well, I'm a pretty amazing guy," Alex said with mock smugness. "And you," he paused to kiss Addison again, "and _you_," he pulled Addison's shirt up and kissed her belly, "are very lucky to have me."

"Yeah, you and your enormous ego."

"Whatever. You love me and my enormous ego. Of course, I'm pretty sure what you really love is my enormous…"

"Alex! You can't talk like that in front on the baby!" Addison elbowed Alex in the ribs and tried to stifle a laugh.

"What? He can't hear me! Besides, I was going to say heart. You love my enormous heart." Alex grinned, proud of his cover-up.

"Yeah, heart my ass. You're a pig." Addison playfully slapped Alex upside the head. "And for the record, it's a girl."

"OK, little miss 'I'm the foremost neonatal specialist in the county,' you do get that you don't get to choose, right?"

"Oh, honey, do you know who I am? I'm Addison Forbes Montgomery. What Addison Forbes Montgomery wants, Addison Forbes Montgomery gets. Just one of many things you have to learn, my good man." Addison patted Alex on the cheek before turning on her side and closing her eyes.

"Well, maybe you haven't noticed, but I'm pretty good at getting what I want too." Pulling Addison close, Alex closed his eyes and they drifted off to sleep together.

**OK, I know it was pretty short, but if I'm completely honest (and a little bit conceited) I must say that there's some great stuff in that little chapter. A bit serious, a bit funny, a bit of pure Addisex fluff. What more can you ask for? I really don't know, so you'll have to tell me. If you have any ideas you'd like me to work into the story give me your wish list and I'll see what I can do. But this thing seems to be coming together pretty quickly so do it fast or you'll miss your chance to have a say in how things end up.**

_"Little Wonders"_

_Let it go,_

_Let it roll right off your shoulder_

_Don't you know_

_The hardest part is over_

_Let it in,_

_Let your clarity define you_

_In the end_

_We will only just remember how it feels_

_Our lives are made_

_In these small hours_

_These little wonders,_

_These twists & turns of fate_

_Time falls away,_

_But these small hours,_

_These small hours still remain_

_Let it slide,_

_Let your troubles fall behind you_

_Let it shine_

_Until you feel it all around you_

_And I don't mind_

_If it's me you need to turn to_

_We'll get by,_

_It's the heart that really matters in the end_

_Our lives are made_

_In these small hours_

_These little wonders,_

_These twists & turns of fate_

_Time falls away,_

_But these small hours,_

_These small hours still remain_

_All of my regret_

_Will wash away some how_

_But i can not forget_

_The way i feel right now_

_In these small hours_

_These little wonders_

_These twists & turns of fate_

_These twists & turns of fate_

_Time falls away but these small hours_

_These small hours, still remain,_

_Still remain_

_These little wonders_

_These twists & turns of fate_

_Time falls away_

_But these small hours_

_These little wonders still remain_


End file.
